Notable Hot Rods on the Block

In the Spring 2014 issue of Hagerty Classic Cars magazine, Ken Gross outlines five factors that make a hot rod hot, and that also contribute to the value of a classic hot rod. They are: history; provenance; a racing record and/or a feature in a period hot rod magazine; a famous owner; and timeless style. Period rods that possess all of these characteristics are the cream of the “kustom krop.” But they don’t exactly grow on trees. In fact, only a handful of truly elite hot rods have crossed the block in recent years. Each of the cars presented here ticks all or nearly all of the right boxes, and as a result, they have commanded big bucks.